Camera, Action!
by Mercurial behavior
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi, that's the role child actor Ienari was given. Once reluctance wore off, he began discovering more about the people beyond their given role. Life is not bad—or well, it wasn't until the day he woke up in the life of his character. Slow progress, Live Action series AU. [Prologue: Exposition and meeting the Rain]


**Camera, action!**

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 _Prologue: The exposition._

 _"I screwed up, didn't I?"_

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Tsunayoshi Sawada. A clumsy, hard headed fourteen year old who lacked confidence in himself and will to move forward. That's the role Ienari was given in the Live Action series for the famous novel "My hitman tutor" starring, a _ridiculous_ amount of people for its main cast and side characters for the cast entirety. He was sure the money issued for the project was so high in the clouds he would never see it in his life. Not taking into account, of course, the even more absurd level of space for the work place that made 'staging' in a studio no less than a fantasy for lazy film artists and directors of the like.

In short, he was handed a very important role, the main one in fact, for a project which had possibly fourteen plus round zeroes to the right. It was no wonder they were contacting cast far and wide beyond Japan to stay true to the story, and as much as a grand honor this could, would _should have_ felt…

His enthusiasm with it could be debated.

Outright, Ienari was somewhat appalled for all the reasons above. It was a job that although many dreamt of, he was sure there was an equal amount of people who would be able to see why this was something he was reluctant of. While it did attract a lot of wanted attention to his rising career, well, the drawbacks were more than just petty thoughts like, oh… Growing out his hair, or having to drop his exercise routine because Tsunayoshi Sawada did not have muscles. His list of possible problems were more, up to…

People behind his role, the extras, and the _extras behind the extras_ , the _stuntman_ and every other replacement they might have for him, will most possibly want to get him out of the way. It isn't unheard of, not at all, because after all they lived in a world where one of the current world selling books was about _mafia_. Which although admittedly, was done in such a light atmosphere you can have your kids' reading it without a problem and still watch them exclaim 'I'll be the next mafia boss!' without much worry, it left a lot of darker undertones for the more mature minds to dwell on, speculate, write, exploit and so on with the market. Or really, the rest of the world who was immersed with said story.

The rest of his problems relied on the single manageable factor that lead to _his_ recruitment to the role—the regulation of Dying Will Flames. The one thing that Ienari, and everyone that knew him, could say he had in spades and then some. He was a Sky, as expected of his role, a Sky with a soft flame, as opposed to both Hard and Soft Flames Tsunayoshi had, but otherwise everything else worked out just fine. Now why would Will management and flame type matter?

Because young Ienari was still a teenager, and as a Sky, no matter his type of flame or polarization a Sky would always try to reach Harmonization with other elements so the flame would be fully harmonized itself. He did not want to go element recruiting on his teenagehood because hormones would be involved and maybe he could end up making a bond and breaking it just as easily. He did _not_ want to experience a fall out, thank you.

So Ienari resisted taking the role, but like most things, his family came into the picture next. At the end, he gave in because part of his family was going to be starring as well. His uncle Iemitsu (hah, funny coincidence that), his godfather's daughter Blanke, his little sister, and... His dad. Namely his dad. _He will be standing in the same show, cast, on the same stage as his dad._

Thus began his journey on hobby hunting to cease his boredom, and a possible outlet to bleed all the stamina cooped up while doing nothing but reading lines upon lines of pessimistic declarations of debating self-worth, and friendship induced lines interchangeable between any other shounen ever seen.

Spoilers.

It was boring.

* * *

He was starting to film in a month, he had half year to get his priorities straight and somehow they came out 'So silly Tsuna would agree', as his lovely sister pointed out. Ienari had been momentarily horrified that after memorizing, reading and reciting his lines, he was possibly affected with some of his character's unfortunate traits. There wasn't much he could do about the matter, however.

His priority list was something like this:

 _'_ _Don't eat anything given by anyone who you don't trust (family are okay, STAFF IS NOT!)  
Refuse any after parties (Friendship can lead to harmonization!)  
Practice flame control everyday (you are less likely to harmonize!)  
Don't stop reciting your lines until you vomit friendship and pseudo plausible deniability (HIEE if you have to)'_

And so on.

Maybe he was a bit paranoid, but then again, he _has_ been spewing and channeling his inner Tsuna a lot more recently, so far as to consider 'What would Tsuna do' when in need of a horribly dense example of day by day life.… Maybe his sister had a point.

Fortunately (or maybe not so), before he could consume more of this Tsuna-logic, he was called in to film and his period of waiting was over.

* * *

Ienari decided, his coworkers for the first season were… Nothing out of the ordinary. Nor was the staff suspicious, or the stuntman ever gave him such as much as a conspiring glance. All his previously stated nerves were for nothing and he was glad of it. The constant threat of harmonization didn't loom over his mind these days; it seemed as if the entire Live Action set was in complete control of their flames, not unlike himself.

On the other side of the coin however, that also meant they were aware of the risk with so many active elements around. It was every man for himself and hardly anyone was on the road to make quick friendships to share their contact information. If something needed to be done, it was done by the staff or addressed to the director.

The start of the filming was intense like that for a week. No one would say more than they had to, and just about every member ate and recited alone. There were plenty of retakes on that period.

After a week and half, everyone came to the conclusion this was pointless, and thus, began to test the unstable waters of _normal_ human interaction again.

The first person Ienari ever asked to practice with was none other than the kid who played the insanely strong Hibari _Kyōya_. He was a boy who, like him, had mixed heritage, with sharp edges already gaining ground on the baby fat of the teenager. They were stuck practicing the one-sided beat up performances because of his surprisingly low stamina and general tensing whenever someone else was in the vicinity.

All their conversations were brief on point. One thing Ienari found curious about the teenager was how well makeup went with him, mascara and eyeliner did wonders.

( _He hadn't learnt his name yet, the younger kid refused to give it; and if he didn't want getting familiar with Ienari just yet, he could respect that. Could he cold as his character portrayed? Nowhere as cruel or terrifying, though._ )

After Hibari, he tried befriending the actor of _Gokudera Hayato_ , this one had given his name right away.

 _Hayashi Gou_ , was a silver haired teenager two years older than him, who tended to comb his hair for an hour straight until it became an octopus, and sometimes chocked on the _fake_ cigarette given (Ienari figured out he didn't smoke, he had thrown the cancer stick to the bin on the second take and told the staff). Noticing this little fact about Gou made said person tense for the entirety of the day, he did the penguin walk after scenes whenever he was near, and kept glancing at him with a crooked frown.

Needless to say, he refused to practice lines together.

( _But Gou still stayed longer than anyone after filmed, script in one hand while the other was shaking when still holding the chocolate prop._ )

Another particular individual which he befriended and spent most of his time with, to no one's surprise, was the man playing the sun Arcobaleno, _Reborn_. He wore a green suit for the effects to look like a preteen, the voice he had to do was hilarious with the baby-soft, in the peak of puberty voice. With the intimidating visage the man held, Ienari would bet some money on the guy being on his mid-twenties, no more, no less.

They had roundabout conversations, though they just spent time with each other because they had nothing better to do, really. It didn't seem like a lasting friendship to him, but neither did it feel like something that would be in danger of falling apart due petty fights they would most likely surely have. After all, is Tsuna grew on Ienari, Reborn would grow on Renato as well.

On the flip note, he still questioned to this day why did the director gave him the job, even if for the adult version he was no less than a perfect fit. To have an adult play a twelve year old kid.

( _Renato had the most number of outtakes already because of the varying hand gestures he had to make when the computer chameleon he didn't see was supposed to transform. People liked him though, he was always joking to shoot everyone with that toy gun of his. He was smitten to his character apparently_ )

Last but not least, there were the ones he didn't have much interaction with, outside the job. Like Tsuna's mother, who always was one step ahead of the crew when they were going to dismiss everyone else. Or the kids, who weren't still for long and played a few ways farther than the camera set could catch.

Ienari was beginning to think his role wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be. They were getting to know each other slowly, and so he didn't mind when they cracked jokes at his expense when he had to rip his clothes off.

His days were enjoyable, and he loved his job- this one just took a bit to get used to.

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Ienari's family had moved from Italy to Japan as time went by.

The first was his uncle Iemitsu, around the time he was two. He was there to visit a friend before he started dating his wife and settled down. If he were to believe his dad, Uncle Iemitsu had another name beforehand, but changed it for convenience sake.

Next was his godfather Cossaert, who constantly moved countries with his only daugther; Ienari was awed the man gained contracts anywhere he went. In his eyes, his godfather was a genius.

After him, his father finally caved in to his and his sister demands and gave them a tour of their Mom's birthplace. Japan was stellar. Colorful schemes decorated the buildings and drew him in, while little Cassandra fell in love with the scenery.

There were stores dedicated to 'manga', something the brunet would call his addiction later on; and last but not least, he was fascinated by the variety of insects there was (why he liked them was anyone's guess. Cassandra cowered behind him when they encountered a _Gejigeji_ ), not to mention how big they were in comparison to the western ones. He was twelve when this happened, bordering on thirteen when they finally left to an apartment on their own after visiting Grandma and Granpa for a couple of weeks.

This was where culture shock finally set in, when he couldn't call his classmates by his first name or else they were awkward for the rest of the grade, offended, or simply didn't approach him again unless they had to. Teachers took their time explaining how honorifics and common etiquette worked, something his dad overlooked.

( _Dad could charm anyone, really; there was no need for formalities with him. Cassandra was the school popular girl in no time, being the social butterfly of the family_ )

It was hard, but he got used to call others by surname, adding '-san' for respect to the elders, and only using first name basis if the other party gave their consent. Up to this day, Ienari still didn't understand how it worked fully.

Thus, when part of the cast had some more lax mannerisms mixed in, like the nick basis or stating their first name up front, he forgot everything he learned about surname-first name basis and honorifics in less than half month they filmed.

"Hey!" he clamped a hand on his coworker's shoulder, grinning from ear to ear even as they jolted immediately.

They spun around and stared with wide eyes for a second, before giving the character's trademark laugh. It made him feel somewhat better of startling the guy, even if that laugh sounded too scripted to be real "Hey there, that was a bit sudden." the actor of Yamamoto Takeshi took one long step back, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish pretense.

If he were Tsuna, he would have apologized a thousand times, probably. But Ienari didn't see the point, it was a harmless scare "Good work today!" he said instead, remembering that one tidbit of custom from getting told earlier "That throw you did with I-pin was awesome-" fill the blank fill the blank fill the blank "-Tōya!" for a moment he felt a chill when Yamamoto's actor didn't respond, instead having an intense staring match with the floor. Did he mix names?

"Right... Thank you, _Sawada_ -san." Tōya muttered, still standing awkwardly to the side with his grin looking more worn down by the second.

As if the mention of the protagonist surname reawakened his manners, Ienari remembered Tōya wasn't there when he introduced himself to the rest of today's cast. He winced, bowing the best he could to apologize; Tōya shook it off easily and was less tense after, hence the brunet took it as a sign he was partially forgiven.

"My name's Ienari; you don't have to use surnames with me. Or suffixes! They confuse me a bit, honestly" he had the decency to look sheepish, even if he only was somewhat embarrassed.

His coworker gave him a look "A bit, huh?" he hummed, meek demeanor diminishing as he kept talking "I think most of our retakes were yours today- you kept messing up with the names..."

"Ouch, you wound me, my Rainy friend" Ienari whined, clutching his chest dramatically.

"Can't let your ego... _Get up the clouds_ " Tōya cracked up a smile.

"...That was terrible" Ienari failed miserably at keeping a straight face. No later than a second or two he was stiffling a chortle "Pfft- that was _horrible_!" he doubled over, holding his sides before giving in "I- Is that even how it goes? That was so awkward!"

Tōya's face burned, he started making excuses and tried to divert the topic elsewhere, mainly to the scene's Ienari failed trying to rip his clothes of. It was his turn to feel the humiliation, but nevertheless laughed easily, prompting a smile long after Tōya cooled down. The smile he got was only a ghost of what the actor had done on film, but he felt rewarded by the fact this one was genuine.

There was a short silence, one tried to remember why he was there, and the other wondered the exact same thing about his companion. It didn't last long until Yamamoto voiced it.

"Oh yeah!" the brunet brightened "I came to drag you over there-" he pointed at the rest of the crew eating boxes together "You were huddled on your corner with the chairs for company, and everyone is eating lunch right now, so..."

At the end, Yamamoto didn't want to come along; but that was fine. Instead Ienari brought him his share of sushi and sat with him. It was awkward, and conversations were short, but at least he got a smile out of it.

This was his first interaction non work related. Ienari liked to think it could had gone worse, this was okay.

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He felt tricked. Yes, some of his family members were going to be in the cast- but no one told him half of them were, not only entire seasons apart, but _Arcs_. His father wouldn't be around until the climax of the final presented arc for this year, and even then, he would only be there for a handful of scenes. Uncle meanwhile was two good arcs away. To say he felt played was an understatement.

Oh and let us mention the ones that were on this beginning of the arc shall we?

The first nuke upon him was his sister. His loveable, mischief inducing little sister was there from the fourth scene. As the protagonist, Tsuna's, love interest. The sly fox acted all innocent as she was instructed to, and Ienari had absolutely no doubt she was giggling until bursting onto tears when she found out, and for the heck of it, decided not to tell him about it. Needless to say, he executed all of the awkwardness befitting of Dame-Tsuna to a T; the director congratulated him.

Second bombshell was Blanke, now Bianchi. The redhead was the hitwoman obsessed with his tutor, Reborn. Meaning, she had every reason and a couple more to shove food down his throat until he exploded, and pinch his cheeks, and hug him, and noogie him until there was no need for special effects to light a flame on his skull.

This happened long ago but he was in the mood to rant on his monologue, the climate was infernal and was dying of thirst. It made him grumpy.

"Hey" a soft voice with a twinge of uneasiness greeted him.

Blearily turning to the side, Ienari watched his coworker through half lid eyes. _Yamada Tōya_ his mind supplied _he plays Yamamoto Takeshi_. _We ate lunch the other day- I think this is the first time he approaches me on his own._ Tall frame, of broad shoulders and tan skin. His hair was darker than the hat Rebron wore, and his eyes were sharp alike the same person. Maybe they were related? All in all with his name definitively Japanese, Ienari concluded that unlike himself, Tōya ( _no_ , Yamada, _remember how awkward you made him last time_ ) had the heritage to match.

On his examination, Yamada looked uncomfortable. _Oh_... Russet orange eyes blinked slowly, belatedly realizing Yamada was waiting for a response. He cleared his dry throat, idly wondering when refreshments would come around " _Ciao_."

A second after the greeting was spoken Yamada was instantly dismayed, much to his confusion. He looked downhearted at the response and it tugged Ienari's heartstrings to watch how the other tried to brush whatever happened aside, giving him a grin somewhat resembling his character. What happened? He panicked, sleep gone as he hurriedly stood up "Yama-"

"It's okay," Yamada interrupted Ienari "Sorry to bother you. Here, I was supposed to give this to you." he hastily thrusted something forward to his arms before bowing and hurrying back to wherever he came.

Ienari stood frozen and ultimately perplexed at what just happened, replaying the scene on his head in an attempt to spot where he screwed up (You are horrible, his little sister chided in his head, honestly where did you get that mean streak from? Dad would be disappointed), but all he could come up with was him maybe looking too disinterested. All I said was 'hello' nothing disrespectful this time eyebrows furrowed, thinking but he was sad, not awkward...

With one heavy sigh and messing yet again his golden brown hair into a bird's nest, he looked down at the unidentified object thrusted onto him.

It was a water bottle.

The brunet wanted to curl on the floor and brood on some dark corner, preferably with shade.

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 **A/N: Hello, this is my first fanfiction here. I'm Mercurial Behavior, Meribei for short. How do you like it? Can you guess what happened with Yamamoto? It's really silly, actually.**

 **I'll be adding little interactions with each character by chapters- sometimes they'll go by someone else's P.O.V., like Gou's or Hibari's, and so on. And later, when we go through a good portion of the cast, we'll get to the whole world-reverse. That or, we can go by dream sequences giving snippets of real-world interactions while Ienari freaks out on the other world. What do you think?**

 **Thank you for reading! Review on your way out, yeah?**


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